Washington, D.C. – Congressman Tim Ryan today issued the following statement in response to Senate Republicans blocking consideration of legislation that would raise the minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 per hour over the next three years:

"Today, Republicans in the Senate had the opportunity to create 85,000 full-time jobs across the nation, including 4,000 jobs in Ohio, but chose otherwise. Once again, Republicans have blocked legislation to raise the minimum wage for 25 million hard-working Americans, to pull millions of full-time workers out of poverty, and provide a $1.5 billion economic boom in Ohio and $22 billion nation-wide.

"I don’t know about my Republican colleagues, but personally I don’t believe any full-time worker in the United States should be forced to live in poverty by no fault of their own—and for that reason, I will continue to fight tirelessly for a minimum wage that is livable and representative of the hard work accomplished by American employees every day. The American economy should work for everyone, which means that a full-time job should give families the ability to have adequate health insurance, send children to quality schools, put food on the table and a roof over their heads. We are talking about an additional $2.85 more per hour. Is that really too much to ask?

"My Republican colleagues need to act now and give the American people the raise they deserve."